Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-06-30
a WHITEHEAD TORPEDO.

| OAaCr 0encE8l kOE HIS Attack on
President Cleveland and the Hospitality
| OF st. Louis.
| DEs MONIES. Iowa. June 19.-Charles
Whitehead, of the George II. Thomas Post
j g. A R. No. 2. San Francisco, and now on
ofhcial duty in this city, has published in
the Union the following open letter to
General ]. III. futile with reference to the
latter's criticism OF the Presidents visit to
| St. LOUIS:
General J. II. Tuttle, Des Noines, Lotrd:
SIR: AS a comrade in good standing in the G..
A K. desire TO thus publicly dissent from and
| 1t the same time condemn the course you have
| taken with reference 10 the President of the
United States. At the time I shall re-
view your conduct and in a respectful manner
criticise its propriety. In the first place deny
your right or authority to speak for the Demo-
cratic members OF the G. a. Il. in Iowa. You
speak not for me-
shall not enter into the question OF how the
G. a X. has been repeatedly used to boom"
aspiring Republican politicians into once; that
is known throughout the length and breadth Of
the land. We know how the boom" was applied
last year in San Francisco where all our Demo
cratic Generals were entirely ignored and unin-
vited But desire to call your attention TO the
Nervousness OF your Onense in offering in your
oflcial capacity as grand commander OF Iowa
gross insults to the Chief Magistrate OF the
United States. The gravity OF your crime-for
crime it is to incite to disorder-is in the threat
uttered by you in your interview in last Sundays
Register and echoed by ex-Grand Commander
Burdette at Washington, that the President
would regret it if he should visit ST. Louis dur
ing the grand cncampment OF the G. A. r. What
If the Commander Chief OF the army and
navy of the United States should visit
st. Louis in September! What if some
''crank''-of which there are numbers
Iowa-should instigated by your words, shoot
the President Guiteau did the lamented
President Garfield! What, then. would be your
fate, Would not the incorporate language
used by you and endorsed by the Republican
press OF Iowa be quoted as damning proof that
you had publicly prophesied this violence! I
regard your utterances in threatening insult and
violence to the President OF the United States
as disgraceful and unpatriotic.
Did Democratic Grand Army men threaten or
insult Republican President when he vetoed
the Equalization of Bounty bill? Did Demo
cratic Grand Army men threaten or offer in
suits to another Republican President and the
Republican Senators who opposed the Arrear-
ages OF Pension act? No, sir, they were too
loyal to the Government to permit avarice and
cupidity TO lead them into treason.
Let US review, Comrade futile, the grounds
OF your proposed demonstration against the
commander of the armies of the United States,
while he is the guest of 4 sister city IN sister
State. You say ''he vetoed the Dependent
Pension bill" True; and he vetoed other bills,
it was his right and duty as Chief Executive
to do. Is q President or Governor to be
mobbed. hooted and insulted every time he Of
tends any portion of the people? What
monstrous proposition L as a veteran soldier,
favor general pension law as well as a de-
pendent pension bill, but believe that the
vetoed bill was properly vetoed because it was
imperfectly constructed, as most OF our pension
legislation has been and is to-day. Even now a
general pension law in being considered and
canvassed by our G. A r. posts, and subSti-
tute bill will no doubt be evolved
Now, Comrade Tuttle ask you in all candor
what good your proposed insult to the Presi-
dent will do the poor, needy veterans and their
widows and orphans' Win it assist the pas
sage OF the new billI VIII 1T strengthen the
hands and ranks of the soldier friends in Con-
grCss? Will it change the political complexion
of this the new Congress? And above all will
it increase the influence of the G. A r. where
ii most needs influence?
You have already done much to weaken the
cause of the men you pretend to champion. We
need friendship and aid. not bitter hostility
and the condemnation OF the conservative ele
ment OF our people. Iowa is not the United
States, nor has the soldier hobby been ridden
in every State as it is being done in Iowa.
You insulted every Democratic soldier in
iowa when you said: 1.-THE feeling against
Cleveland is tremendously strong throughout
the State. Democrats denounce him as strong
ly Us Republicans" This deny and challenge
you for the proof. No decent intelligent Dem
ocrat in Iowa would ''denounce' the President
as you have done. The Democrats in Iowa are
too loyal and patriotic to indorse sentiments
that incite TO riot and assassination. You will
see, If you attend the Grand Army encannp-
ment in St Louis that Democratic Grand
Army men from Iowa will be there in force
and will discountenance any action which
might tend TO disgrace the State of Iowa In
another place in your duly authenticated I'm
terview'' in the Globe Democrat and the Regis
ter, you offer this gratuitous insult to
your Democratic comrades with whom you
trained Democrat until the Republicans
gave you an offer for an office: Ever since the
Democrats came into power, there has been
drifting of newly appointed office-holders into
the ranks of the Grand Army. For twenty
years these men kept out of our organization
because, as they said, there was too much
Republicanism about it. Within the past few
months these men have come into the ranks in
sipgularly large numbers, and all say they are
coming to st. Louis"
Is this true, Comrade Tuttle? Has this sol
dier-hating Democratic administration really
appointed Union soldiers to ONCE lin singular
~ large numbers and are they really coming
to ST. LOUISE" What damaging confession
is this Yet it is true, so far as appointing
Democratic Union soldiers to once and that
they will be ut St. Louis in September
Among the ''ofice holders expect to meet
and greet General W. S. Rosecrans, the grand
old hero OF the Army OF the Cum beriand and
of West Virginia; General Franz SigeL pension
agent New York: General d. c. Buell., pension
agent Louisville, KY; General John c. Black.
Commit sioner of Pensions; General Villas,
PostmasterGeneral;Co Colonel Zollinger, pension
agent Indianapolis; Mrs. Mulligan, widow Of
the gallant Colonel Mulligan, OF Lexington,
Mo-, fame who is now pension agent at Cnica-
go; Captain Lake, pension agent at Des Moines;
Captain Allen, pension agent at San Francisco,
and with them a host of other good Democratic
soldiers not least among whom are General
Bragg of the Iron Brigade" OF Wisconsin;
General Johnny Slocum and General Daniel
E Sickles, of New York; General Stoneman, of
California and General Walsh and Colonel
Stuart NJ Taylor, Of San Francisco; General
John A. McClcrnand and General Palmer, OF
Illionis And why should they not be welcome
In a grand encampment Of the G. A Z? Is 1t
because none of them were appointed to ONCE
by Republican administrations Except Gen.
eraI Sickles.)
will not ask you, comrade futile, why you
were q Democrat until a few years ago. man
ha. the right to change his coat. But will tell
YOU why We Democratic soldiers remain true
to our principles. It is because we believe IN
union of States, union of the whole people.
L Is-nn . ic her